The Academy Ball, the highlight of the social season, swung into action last Saturday night at the Bellevue and, although the white-tie charity gala benefits the Academy of Music, the soiree was not devoid of politics.

A well-attended pre-party hosted by Philadelphia Bar Association Board of Governors member Joe Prim and his wife, Jeanne, was held at the Union League. Guests included Dr. Edwin Camiel, nephew of the late Democratic party boss Pete Camiel, and his wife, Judith, who is fundraising for Republican lieutenant governor candidate Jim Matthews. The Camiels are active Main Line Republicans.

Also attending the Prims' cocktail gathering—which featured a jazz trio—was Joe Vignola, former executive director of the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA), who confirmed that he has a new gig. Vignola, who attended with Alexis Barbieri, executive deputy attorney general for public protection in Tom Corbett's office, is now the senior VP group manager for public finance at Janney Montgomery Scott.

"I'm enjoying the job," said Vignola, "but I have to take some tests required by the Securities Exchange Commission. The job is not completely new to me, because I was a financial overseer at both PICA and as the former city controller."

Vignola added that he was glad to see that new Controller Alan Butkovitz tapped Harvey Rice as first deputy controller. Rice was Vignola's chief of staff when Vignola was controller and later worked for him at PICA.

A plethora of politicos drifted around the bar outside the main ballroom. Partying with his wife, Joan, was U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, who has been spending much time lately on the Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito's hearings in the Judiciary Committee. For Democrats and moderate Republicans, Specter's support of Alito will be his legacy. In what will probably be his last term, Specter, a centrist and pro-choice advocate for women's rights, toed the party line in support of Alito, who was confirmed on Tuesday.

Also making the scene was U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, with his wife, Channel 10 News anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah. The congressman made it clear that he is working on his mayoral platform. Fattah is also up for re-election this year and there's still no word from NAACP president and Philadelphia Sunday Sun publisher J. Whyatt Mondesire on whether Fattah will have opposition. Mondesire was not seen at the ball but one of his supporters, Bruce Crawley, there with his wife Pamela, senior vice president at Citizens Bank, said he wasn't sure about Mondesire's intentions.

"He has a lot to give up," Crawley said.

Time is running out, however. The first day to circulate nominating petitions for all offices is Feb. 14. (Mondesire did not return several calls for comment.)

GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Scranton took the opportunity of the ball to network for support. Newsy types, such as retired Inquirer and Daily News publisher Bob Hall, with his wife, Ronna, and Bob and Caro Rock, who own the City Paper, rounded out the scene.

As an underdog in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, Philadelphia lawyer Alan Sandals is already airing commercials during the Sunday morning talk shows. His latest 30-second spot, aimed at women, focuses on how male politicians interfere with a woman's personal health-care decisions. It included a swipe at incumbent Republican Sen. Rick Santorum.

Bill Hillsman, whose client list includes Texas gubernatorial candidate Richard "Kinky" Friedman, Paul Wellstone, Jesse Ventura and Ralph Nader, orchestrated the ads which Sandals said were timed to coincide with the Alito hearings. He said to expect more ads, but wouldn't comment on his specific campaign strategy.

The issue of choice is important to his campaign since front-runner Democrat Bob Casey Jr. is unabashedly pro-life.

"It's a shame D.C. recruited Casey," said Sandals. "I don't know what the Democrats stand for anymore." Last week, Sandals debated University of the Arts professor Chuck Pennacchio, another pro-choice Democrat vying for the Senate seat. Sandals lamented that the debate, organized by the League of Women Voters, did not get much press coverage. Casey chose not to participate.

Undaunted, Sandals, who claims he won the debate, is moving though the state looking for support and talking to voters about their concerns on economic issues and the war in Iraq.

Sandals said he has the money for more TV time. His end-of-September campaign filing showed he had $207,000, but he must have been doing some pretty good fundraising since then. In addition to receiving loans, Sandals admitted he also personally contributed to his campaign.

Pennacchio had only raised $65,000, with $9,000 in debt, as of the fall filing date. He is depending on grassroots support through an Internet campaign. He is also becoming a favorite of the gay and lesbian community.

Casey had $3 million and Santorum led with more than $6.5 million in the campaign coffers. New campaign filings, which were due last Tuesday, were not available by press time.